Sports

Baseball has a lot of fans, but how many of them know exactly what a player does once he takes the field? Do they know what they use to do their jobs? Here's a primer.

By Linda C. Brinson

Without the obstruction rule, Major League Baseball would be more of a contact sport -- or even resemble the NFL. But what exactly is off limits?

By Mark Boyer

It's hard to truly gun it for first if you're worried about screeching to a halt once you get there. What are the rules regarding overrunning first base?

By Clint Pumphrey

A double play is any combination of two outs in one single play. So how do the fielders make that happen?

By Chris Opfer

Anything called an error can't be good. But if it doesn't directly affect the score of a game, then why does it even exist? And how do you make one?

By Clint Pumphrey

Everyone expects professional athletes to make a mistake once and while. But what happens when a player seems to lose their talent almost completely, suddenly and for no good reason?

By Christopher Neiger

Maybe you feel the cold hand of death creeping toward you at this very moment; or maybe you think you've got some time before the final strike is called. Either way, see these fields before you go.

By Jamie Page Deaton

A foul-tip is an unusual sight in baseball -- to begin with, the batter has to foul the ball directly back to the catcher's mitt. If he catches it, it's a strike, not a foul. What rules govern this weird play?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Ever wonder why players sometimes run outside the first-base running lane in baseball without getting called out? As it turns out, the rules of that road aren't always clear.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Baseball has a pretty colorful history, especially its curses. From the goat-plagued Chicago Cubs to a Japanese team's strange encounter with Colonel Sanders, we'll take a look at 10 of the most famous (and bizarre).

By Gerlinda Grimes

In professional baseball, getting sent down to the minors is more common than you might imagine. But there are some big-name players who got sent back that just might surprise you.

By Shanna Freeman

What is it about losing streaks that make them so compelling? Is it the emotional turmoil, the trainwreck aspect or just the desire to laugh at people doing things badly? In any case, here are five really bad baseball losing streaks.

By Dave Roos

Upsets are part of what makes baseball interesting. These are five of the most dramatic.

By Mark Boyer

In the 2000s, America's pastime lost its luster when it was revealed that prominent players were using performance-enhancing drugs. How does the MLB prevent such abuse these days?

By Patrick J. Kiger

We tend to think of baseball as an American obsession, but this bat-and-ball game has fans in other corners of the globe, too.

By Kate Kershner

You'd think that the game of baseball was entirely invented, but the truth is that it grew and evolved from several other sports. Here are five rule changes that made baseball the game we love today.

By Dave Roos

Baseball players have all sorts of strange little warm-up rituals when they're getting ready to bat. We'll explore the science and the superstition behind the practice in this article.

By Gerlinda Grimes

A lot of practice, discipline and focus go into the making of a pitcher. But even highly trained athletes need to warm up before they put their skills to the test.

By Kevin P. Allen

Baseball has had its share of scandals over the years, but these five incidents rank among the sport's most unforgettable.

By Kevin P. Allen

Everybody digs the long ball, but the heart of the game of baseball lies in the duel between pitcher and batter. Here are some tips to help the pitcher win that duel.

By Ed Grabianowski

People have been batting around balls long before baseball hit the scene. We'll scope out 5 of baseball's precursors in this article.

By Kate Kershner

Huddle up, team. We're going to strategize about ways to improve your bball game in this article.

By Kate Kershner

The only thing bigger and better than a win by your favorite baseball team is a whole streak of Ws. That's skill. That's dominance. That feels good.

By Eric Seeger

There will always be bad trades in baseball. But these are by far 10 of the worst in history.

By John Perritano

Grab your contraband snacks purchased outside the stadium and keep your binoculars handy to watch for furtive movements on the field. It's time to play (dirty) ball!

By Akweli Parker